So... when faced with this particular obstacle there's only one thing for a crafter to do...

FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT YOURSELF!

Enter the sketchy cell phone accessory kiosk at my local shopping mall... where I managed to find myself one of these:

It's a clear rubbery cell phone case! And it fits my Blackberry Bold. And it was $6. Sweet. The salesperson assured me they had clear cases for almost every brand of cell phone - including iPhones 2, 3, and 4. I know I've seen these cell phone accessory kiosks in pretty much every mall I've been in lately, so I'm sure there's one near you.

14 count plastic canvas or Aida cloth - available at any decent craft supply store or needlework shop. One sheet of 14 count plastic canvas is a whopping $0.99 at my local Michaels and is available in either clear or white. I'd love to get my hands on other colours too, which I know I've seen online. In the meantime though I'm going to use what I have on hand. Alternately, if you don't have plastic canvas you could definitely use regular ol' Aida. You'd have to fray check the edges to keep it from unravelling or you could paint it any colour you like using our Paint Your Own Aida method which will seal the edges.

Small sharp scissors and an X-acto knife

Your clear cell phone case

First thing's first... you need to make a template so you know how much plastic canvas/Aida cloth you'll need to cut.

With the backside of your cell phone case facing up, make a crayon rubbing on a scrap piece of paper (just like with leaves in kindergarten). This is will give you a good idea of the outline of your case - especially useful for those curvy edged cell phones like the Blackberry.

Cut our your rough template and pop it into the case just to be sure it fits. It doesn't have to be perfect or straight at this point. It's really just meant to be a cutting guide for our stitchable fabric. Which leads us to the next step...

Just lay your template on top of your plastic canvas or Aida cloth and cut to size. I left myself a few extra rows all the way around just to have some room to play with. Again I popped my plastic canvas into my case to be sure I liked the fit. I was glad I left a few extra rows because I actually needed them - this is why your paper template doesn't have to be perfect! (FYI - the exact size of my 14 count plastic canvas ended up being 100mm x 55 mm).

The only thing left to do is to round the corners and to cut the holes for my camera lens and flash:

I just snipped a few notches in the corners of my plastic canvas to make it fit into the curve of my case. Then holding my plastic canvas in place I used a marker to trace out all the little holes and doo-das I needed for the camera function on my phone (not that I use it much, but it's nice to have the option). Using a craft knife I (carefully!) cut out all the holes that I'd marked.

Now you're finally prepped and ready to go! At this point you have the perfect template for your stitchable cell phone case. I've actually cut myself a half-dozen of these now so I can stitch as many variations as I like. For my first case I worked up Wonder Woman and Batman. The size of plastic canvas you have to work with is completely dependant on the size of your cell phone. With my Blackberry Bold I have just enough room for two normal sized Pixel People side by side. The combinations of motifs is practically endless!! I've been thinking I might do a Doctor Who case next, with two of my favourite Doctors... or maybe a Star Wars case with Chewbacca and Han Solo... at any rate, the nice thing about doing your cross-stitchable case this way instead of buying the Connect Design case is that you can change out your stitching whenever the whim hits you - you're not stuck with just one design... and with your stitching behind the clear plastic it'll stay clean!

After a quick bit of stitching this is what I ended up with:

Cool huh? Quick, interchangeable, protected, and best of all... LESS THAN $10. Sweet.

It's so funny that I came across this post. I was just gawking at a cross stitch case for an iPhone that Purl Bee had on their website. Like you, I don't have an iPhone, nor am I going to get one. This is a great idea. Ironically I bought a case that was dubbed "Matrix" case on ebay that wonderously has an open grid on the back. If I break that one, though, I will definitely give this a try.

That is so cute! I saw the iPhone covers a few months ago and had the same thoughts as you. Unlike you though I didn't have the genius thought to custom make one for my own phone. You're so freakin' clever! Thanks for sharing!

This is so cool! I have almost finished my pixel people on my cover and was umming and aahing about the French knots as i thought they'd get damaged in my bag - and now I wish I'd thought of this too :)

What a brilliant idea! I don't have an iphone and have been so jealous that they don't do them for the ipod -- this will defo inspire me and I shall be giving this article a mention on my own blog too!

Finally finished one for a friend, who found your great tutorial online. I love my new cross stitch friends! (you guys, not the superheroes, I mean, though I love them too!) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Subversive-Cross-Stitch/116620175652

Hi! I just saw those iPhone cases online and Googled to find not-iPhones ones and found you! I'm buying a new phone soon and this is perfect! Just one question. When you said it's a rubbery case, do you mean the soft silicone kind of the plastic kind that has been "rubberized" to be soft? Thanks!

Just found this now - thank you so much! I had used one of the pre-made cases last year and stitched Link and Zelda on it for my fiance. Now that we're looking to upgrade his phone, he was sad that he wouldn't be able to use the case anymore. Problem solved - now he can have an even cooler one!

This is SO awesome, I was SOOOO EXCITED to try it out! I got a cross-stitching plastic piece AND the aida cloth, since I didn't know which might work (and I've actually never cross-stitched before). The clear case I ordered for my phone just arrived last night and I went to work trying to make a template..... and discovered that the plastic canvas was too think.... and the aida cloth is too thick too! The case is SO tight, I can only barely get it to snap shut with an un-stitched piece of aida cloth inside, so I know when I get some stitches on there, it will definitely not fit.I'M SO DISAPPOINTED!!!!Now, I'm wondering if I can find a different kind of clear case for my phone - this one is hard-plastic, not rubbery.....

I have s Samsung phone too and I have embroidered on a Iphone-case. The size was OK, but the holes weren´t at the right places so I must absolutely remember to take it off before taking pictures indoor ... So, this is a much better alternative. Let´s hope I can find a suitable clear cell phone case.

Had stumbled across the stitchable Iphone cases at Walmart and picked one up to do for myself. When I posted a pic of my WIP on one of my cross stitch groups another member mentioned your blog and tutorial. I'm elated that she did because my daughter is wanting me to do one for her, but she has one of the new fancy Samsung phones and I cannot find a stitchable case for it anywhere. Thank you so much for sharing this! Oh, but I will say, the Iphone kits are only around $5 at Walmart for the case, thread, needle, and 4 patterns to pick from to stitch. However, I agree that the stitching will get dirty and begin to look dingy, so now I will have to do another one for me following your tutorial. :)

Any ideas for keeping the canvas stuck to the inside of the case? I'd like to make one of these as a Christmas gift for a friend, but I have a feeling that if they weren't attached she'd end up losing one of the pieces, as she changes her phone cases a lot... Maybe a stitch through each corner of the case? Or is that a crazy idea??